Introduction: Who’s Afraid of Hilda Hilst? An Author Between Brazil and “World Literature.”

Abstract

Among Brazilian writers, scholars, and critics, Hilda Hilst (1930–2004) is certainly not a well-kept secret. Her work received numerous prizes, generated a significant critical bibliography, and inspired a legion of devoted readers. Although her reach outside Brazil does not match that of better-known authors such as Machado de Assis and Clarice Lispector, her versatility remains unparalleled. Not only do her dozens of works span poetry, fiction, and drama; they also encompass a variety of styles and registers from across classical, medieval, and early modern lyrical traditions, and prose styles associated with both high modernism and postmodern literature. Yet her writing is often unmistakable and seldom derivative. In spite of her growing prestige, Hilda Hilst remains controversial among readers of Portuguese. Frequently provocative and sometimes hermetic, her literature elicits a constant tension between a desire for recognition and communication, and an aversion to banality. Hilda Hilst’s texts never fail to push the boundaries of readers’ expectations.